Hello Josha, where did your love of dogs come from?
Josha: “We didn’t have our own dog in my family, but I’m generally very fond of animals. It was a little wish of mine to one day have a dog, and I’ve now had Headie, a labrador, for two years. It’s really fun with him.”
We’re in the final stretch of the season. How do you assess your position going into the final four league matches?
Josha: “Our position is good but we’ve achieved nothing yet. We’ll have to summon everything we’ve got to achieve something great together at the end of the Bundesliga season. Situations like this motivate me a lot.”
Looking at the remaining fixtures, first up is the home match against Werder Bremen. What do you expect from that encounter?
Josha: “Bremen also have a lot to play for – for them it’s about avoiding relegation and they need every point for that, so I expect a very intensive and hard-fought match. We’ll need a top performance if we’re to keep the points in Stuttgart.”
After that, it’s all against clubs who are also playing for European places with Hoffenheim, Leverkusen and Frankfurt. How much do you relish a Bundesliga finale like this?
Josha: “These are ‘six-pointers’, where one or two positions in the table can shift. I have full confidence in our team. We turn up in these games and we’re capable of coming out on top in them. It’s going to be an exciting end to the season.”
Josha Vagnoman:
We all support each other in defence so that we ideally keep a clean sheet. A
VfB’s current good form is partly down to the team’s defensive work. You’ve already kept 11 clean sheets in the current campaign – one of the best figures in the Bundesliga. What are the reasons for your defensive strength?
Josha: “One factor is the mindset – we all support each other in defence so that we ideally keep a clean sheet. At the end of the day, that increases the likelihood of winning games. On top of that, we have good quality in the defensive area and we also work well in different setups.”
Finally, let’s look ahead to the World Cup in the summer. What would it mean to you to be part of the Germany squad?
Josha: “It’s always something very special for me to pull on the Germany shirt, so I was all the more delighted about my recent international appearance in March. I’m going to do everything I can to also be included in the squad for the World Cup in the summer. In the end it’s down to coach Julian Nagelsmann.”
